Gustavo «Billy» Rodas, the Messi who never made it | OneFootball

Gustavo «Billy» Rodas, a year older than Lionel Messi, turned professional at 15 with Newell’s. Once seen as the safer bet, his career fell short amid a complicated environment and early burnout.

When Messi left Rosario for Barcelona at 13, Newell’s delayed his registration for months. According to L'Équipe, legend says president Eduardo Lopez told staff to let him go because the club had kept the best.

Born in 1986, Rodas was an explosive dribbler who joined at seven. He sometimes trained and played with Messi, but the smaller Leo was rarely promoted, while Rodas rose fast and impressed coaches with his two-footed game and presence.

Stung by the Messi saga, Newell’s gave Rodas a pro deal at 15. At 16 Julio Zamora debuted him, the club’s youngest, and he scored on 18 August 2002 in a 4-1 win against Talleres, then won the South American Under-17 title with Argentina.

The path soon veered. He became a father at 16, his parents split and he looked after younger brothers, drifted into nightlife, missed training and was said to have skipped the 2003 Under-17 World Cup to chase a European move.

He later said he played for money without joy, and that indifference cost him. Released at 21, he zigzagged through Colombia, Peru, where he was named best foreign player in 2010, Ecuador, China and Japan, interspersed with gaps and failed trials.

Now out of the spotlight, he treasures family and says he has no regrets, while accepting a different upbringing might have changed things. After retiring he considered youth coaching, warning that parental pressure can strip children of pleasure. Messi, almost 40, is contesting his sixth World Cup.

Source: L'Équipe